How a leaked phone call led to a PM’s suspensionpublished at 08:32 British Summer Time
08:32 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Paetongtarn was suspended in July over a leaked phone conversation with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen as tensions flared at the border of the two countries.
The clip, in which Paetongtarn called him “uncle” and promised to “take care” of his needs, sparked public anger and a petition for her dismissal – the result of which will be announced in court today.
Critics also accused her of undermining the country’s politically influential army. As Thai and Cambodian troops clashed at the border, Paetongtarn told Hun Sen in the call that a Thai military commander “just wanted to look cool”.
The leak prompted a key coalition partner of Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party to quit, and Paetongtarn faced heated calls for her resignation.
While Paetongtarn defended the call as a “negotiation technique”, she also said she would no longer engage in private talks with Hun Sen.
The Shinawatras’ friendship with Cambodia’s Hun family goes back decades. Hun Sen and Paetongtarn’s father, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, consider each other “godbrothers”.
But ties between Hun Sen and Thaksin have plummeted since the leaked phone call, with both political kingmakers publicly lashing out at each other.